Knight in Shining Armor
by Lux et Tenebris
Summary: Jaune had always wanted to be the hero. Ride up with your gallant steed, slay the dragon, take the princess, and live happily ever after. Boom. Well, he now has the chance to literally, be a knight in shining armor.
1. Cause I'm a Wanderer

**Chapter 1**

 **I don't own nothing.**

* * *

Jaune trudged against the snow, his feet leaving a trail of footprints wherever he walked.

He still felt like he was freezing, even when he he had two layers of jackets on. He was exhausted, the heavy knapsack bouncing against his body whenever he moved. Not to mention the heavy sword and shield combo sheathed at his hip.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his scroll. Looking at the map he'd downloaded before leaving home, he was close. Very close.

He kept an eye on his scroll, but eventually, snowflakes started lightly pelting the screen. He tried to wipe them off, but his gloves were covered in snow as well.

Jaune sighed and shoved his scroll down his pocket. _"At least I know I'm going the right direction. And I'm lucky for not finding any Grimm along the way._

He frowned, but still kept on toiling through the thick snow. _"I'm surprised they haven't caught up to me by now. I was half-expecting to be caught as soon as the day after."_

 _"Anyway, it's not like I can stop now. Going back would make me an even bigger embarassment. I'm so close. I can't stop now."_

 _"Although, I feel like a mercenary would have been a great help._ _But that'd be splitting the glory. I need to do this, legit."_

But a tiny voice at the back of his mind told him: _"What makes you think this would make you a great hero?"_

 _"What makes you think they'll even believe you? Whatever treasures you may find there, they'll just believe you used the money to buy some shiny jewels to show. And you're basing this on myths and legends. Look around you, Jaune. Everything is covered in snow. How the hell do you exactly plan to find this?"_

 _"And so let's say you DO find this relic. You find it, bring it back-hell, CAN you make it back, Jaune? All the sleet, snow and rain. Can you handle that? And say you bring it back, how long do you think the fame will last? "Good job, Jaune. You found it, now stay put and I'll prepare dinner. You've got school tomorrow!"_

He decided to cut off that tiny voice. Screw the tiny voice. " _It's best if I keep going. Stop mind-wandering for now. Negativity will bring the Grimm."_

His father said that. Jaune had to admit, he slightly admired his father. He was the one who cheered everyone up when he was in town.

He'd go around, helping people whenever he could in anyway possible. He never passed up a chance to assist a poor soul. When Jaune asked why he always did such things, his expression turned serious and said:

"Negativity brings the Grimm." Jaune stopped walking. In front of him was a massive cave opening. _"This had to be it."_ A small smile formed on his face.

He felt a small burst of excitement, and that gave him some energy for the long march he had endured.

He ran as fast as he can into the cavern.

* * *

Inside, it was extremely dark. The only source of light was the outside, in the snow. At least it was a tad bit warmer inside.

He reached inside his knapsack, and took out a red flare. He'd picked them up from a merchant on the road. _"They're like torches, but they don't set things on fire!"_ He remembered what the salesman said. Heck, he was even nice enough to teach him how to light one, provided he paid for it first.

He removed the cap from the flare, and used it to strike it. A red fiery glow bursted, now providing a hellish light illuminating the rest of the cave.

He took it as an opportunity to check his surroundings. It seemed like any ordinary cave, with natural looking stone and such. There were no signs of any life, not even any mushrooms.

Although, he saw something that caught his eye. It seemed like a few red and brown stains on the corner of the cave. _"Wait, don't tell me, oh no.."_

As he walked closer, he sighed in relief. It was just a few cave paintings. Honestly, he thought it was animal feces. He examined the stains closer.

It wasn't very easy to interpret what it was. The first humans in Remnant weren't exactly artists, and the cave paintings weren't exactly intact as well.

From what he could make out, all he saw were a bunch of stick figures running around throwing spears at animals. Or maybe Grimm?

Unable to completely understand the "paintings", Jaune shrugged to himself and kept on walking to continue his self-proclaimed quest.

Jaune knew he had to move a bit faster. Flare's only lasted...was it fifteen or seventeen minutes? And he wasn't exactly overstocked on flares. Who knew how deep this cave is? _"And if this is the place where the "treasure" is."_

He blocked the voice in the back of his mind. " _Damn it, how big is this place? Who knows how long it would take to find the-"_

"-treasure." He immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

Two giant decorated doors stood in his path. He suddenly gaped in awe, it was massive. The double doors stretched from one end of the cave to the other.

It wasn't grey like the stone making up the cave. It was darker, looking like it was made from an ebony-like material.

He knocked on the door. "Anybody home?" He chuckled at his own terrible joke.

The door was decorated and etched with various symbols. Some of them contained what he thought were either animals, or Grimm. Some of them contained what looked like men carrying swords and spears.

Curiously, he threw the flare in his hand as high as he could to the top of the two doors. The light emanating from it revealed that the door stood much taller than he thought.

 _"Okay, I found the door. How the hell do I open it?"_ At first, Jaune tried prying the door, proving fruitless. _"There's got to be something to open this up."_

The Knight started to search the area with his flare. He looked through various piles of rock, and even searched the door itself for a way to open it up.

Until he started to search the floor. He noticed a giant seal right in front of the door. He slapped himself in the head. _"How could I missed that!"_

He wasn't exactly sure if the seal would be the key to opening the door, but it was worth a try. He kneeled down to examine it further.

Like the large double-doors, it was decorated identically. The seal was spherical, like a disc, with layers of symbols and animal pictures.

But at the center of the seal, were words surrounding a small hole. _"Thank Monty Oum it's in my language."_ Jaune read the words out aloud:

* * *

 **Here rests Gaius of Lux,**

 **He was the first to ignite the light,**

 **He was our torch against the darkness,**

 **the one who never gave up a fight.**

 **He lit the flames in our souls,**

 **and drove back the shadow.**

 **He lived a great life,**

 **one filled with fame, but one with strife.**

 **He lived many years, but eventually left us for death himself.**

 **Should one wish to enter, one shall prove thyself**

 **through three tests, not one more, not one less.**

 **The first test:**

 **You must be willing to spill blood for the light.**

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Is it seriously telling me to spill my own blood?" He casted a worried gaze to Crocea Mors before sighing.

"This better all be worth it. I swear to Oum, I better get something out of this." He unsheathed Crocea Mors and placed the blade on his left arm. With one swift motion, blood started dripping into the hole. He carefully made sure not to make the cut too deep.

Suddenly, the massive doors opened themselves, and Jaune ran to get out of the way. Dust poured out and Jaune shielded his eyes.

He took out a bandage out of his knapsack and wrapped it around the wound he had inflicted on himself, and turned to the now open doors.

Jaune coughed. "Definitely worth it." He ran inside the doors.

* * *

As Jaune entered, he saw complete darkness ahead. The only source of light was the flare in his left hand. The flare in his pocket had died out.

 _"Great, walking in the dark. Could be worst, some zombies could start jumping out of their coffins and rising from their graves to chop my ass."_

He chuckled nervously. Now that the thought crossed his mind, he gripped his sword's handle. He felt himself getting more nervous by the second.

 _"Okay, Jaune. Relax. Chill...Chillax...nothing's going to happen to you._ The more he thought about, the more nervous he became.

 _"It doesn't necessarily hurt to be prepared, right?"_ Jaune decided to unsheathe Crocea Mors. Just in case something jumped him, he wouldn't have to spend a second taking out the family heirloom.

As time went on, Jaune realized that there were no turns or corners. It was literally, one giant empty pitch-black hallway.

The thought assured himself a bit. Although, his instincts told him to be prepared none the less.

After what felt like hours of walking, Jaune finally saw something, a bright light at the end of the hallway.

Seeing the light shining, he quickened up the pace, not wanting to stay surrounded the darkness. Eventually, flat-out sprinting.

Reaching the light, he entered through a doorway. As if it was an illusion, the bright light had dissipated greatly, focusing on a small altar in a middle of the room. The Arc slowly walked to the stone altar. He wiped the dust away, coughing.

He saw the words etched on it, and it read:

 **Here rests the last cohort of Gemina.**

 **Led by Gaius, their campaigns were legendary, and were etched into history forever.**

 **Gemina and Gaius drove back the darkness together.**

 **The Legion endured the years, eventually diminishing to a cohort of no more than 80 men.**

 **They still fought, from beginning to end, again and again.**

 **Whether be together or against each other.**

Jaune decided to skip apart of the tablet.

 **When Gaius caught the blight,**

 **lead by Titus they did away with his life, now controlled by Grimm.**

 **and locked him here up tight.**

 **And even in death they still protect him.**

 **The second test: You must know how to repel Darkness.**

* * *

As soon as Jaune finished the last sentence of the long morbid poem, he heard something fall behind. He spun around.

There, in the darkness, were piercing red eyes. _"Shit. How could Grimm be in HERE!?"_

He saw the red eyes that burned into his soul come closer, and he realized they weren't even Grimm.

It was a skeleton, holding a rusted gladius with a large decorated shield in a shape of square.

 _"I fucking knew it!"_ He placed the flare in his pocket, and took out his shield. Adrenaline started pumping through him.

Granted, he was scared. But it was just a skeleton, right?

Jaune raised his sword and slashed the skeleton's leg. Surprisingly, only one hit caused the Skeleton to immediately come apart in pieces. The red glare from it's eye sockets diminishing.

"Wait, that's it. Seriously?" Jaune looked around. As soon as the skeleton fell to the floor, more pairs of red eyes opened in the darkness. The bones of the one he had previously slain suddenly floated in the air, before magically reattaching themselves together, along with the gladius and the shield.

"I jinxed it."

As the skeletons advanced towards him, Jaune realized that the skeletons were surprisingly easy opponents.

Jaune sliced apart the bone of one skeleton, before punching another in the skull with his shield. He grinned, actually enjoying the leisurely battle.

But he realized that the skeletons were growing in numbers, reanimating themselves, and he worried they would soon overwhelm him.

 _"I've got to quicken up the pace."_ He blocked a stab from a skeleton, and countered back with a kick.

Jaune sliced through the crowd of undead, fighting as hard as he can, until he realized he was completely surrounded by sp00ky-Er, I mean, the carcasses made up of bones.

"Shit." He cursed. He kept on fighting however, and kept his shield raised. His sword went through the skull of one of the legionnaires.

Eventually, his fighting pushed his back to the wall. _"What do I do now? There's so many of them."_

Eventually, a skeleton pushed his sword through Jaune. Another one got a cut at his shoulder. _"Shit! They hit me! Crap, crap. Uh...Plan B!"_

Now, Jaune didn't know what he was doing, he'd only ever saw someone do this in a videogame. But it made sense. And he was out of his ideas.

He raised his shield again, and started sprinting at the horde of undead.

Jaune used Crocea Mors as a battering ram to break through the crowd, and he ran through the skeleton crew, trampling on the bones of the fallen.

As he ran with his shield up, eventually, some of the skeletons got more hits on him. One of them sliced through the cloth and hit his leg.

Another cut his arm, breaking the bandage he made earlier, reopening the wound, while causing him to lower his shield.

He grit his teeth. _"Come on! How many more of them?"_ But Jaune saw something past the darkness, and what seemed like millions of red eyes.

A small doorway. Smaller than the one he used to enter this deathtrap of a room.

He pushed through with all of his strength, using the doorway as a motivation for escaping. He broke through the skeleton blockade and ran inside.

Conveniently, as soon as he went through the doorway, a metal gate fell down, barricading him from the undead. In relief, he sat down from exhaustion.

"Ahahah! Hehehe...heh...I can't believe it! I survived..." He looked up to the skeletons. "Hah! Thought you'd kill me, did you, Daniel of Fortes-" Jaune taunted, until he saw a skeleton broke off his arm, and threw it at him, landing next to his foot.

"What the hel-" To his horror, the bone arm kept on moving, and it crawled towards him. "AHHHHHH SHIIIIT!" Jaune shrieked. He took out his shield and smashed the skeletal arm to pieces. He slowly stood up, crying out at his wounds, and looked back at the skeleton horde.

Red eyes glowed from the skull, just as menacing as he first saw them. But the Arc felt slightly more confident due to the fact that the Skeleton Horde didn't exactly kill him.

Well, maybe they will. Considering he was bleeding.

"Jokes on you, er, whoever threw their limb at me. You're missing an arm now!" Somehow, the skeletons seemed to grow in anger at the statement, and started using their gladius' and shields to chip away the gate.

"Uh...nevermind...I'm getting out of here." He started limping away, with an angry skeleton cohort behind.

* * *

After some walking in the darkness with his flare surprisingly still lit in his pocket, he decided the best action to do now was to check out his injuries.

The blonde sat down and crossed his legs on the cold cobblestone floor of the dungeon. He slid off his knapsack off to his side and set the flare down.

"Alright, that happened. Don't get too cockey Jaune. Let's take a look at these wounds..." He took off his heavy, thicker leather coat, revealing a lighter, black hoodie with a moon on the back, and a golden arc in the front. Multiple tears made from rusted swords, along with blood decorated the jacket.

His jeans were torn up as well. Actually, they were torn up in the first place, just not as much. And they had less blood. A lot less.

In fact, they were still bleeding too! Blood kept on running down his body from multiple slashes across his legs. How come he didn't noticed this before?

With a tired sigh, he decided the best course of action for now was to simply bandage up the wounds like he did with his arm and keep going.

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body...pain is just weakness leaving the body..." Jaune chanted.

He discarded his hoodie and took out a roll of bandages to wrap around his wounds.

* * *

Jaune had went back to walking again, feeling a bit better, but sore from the battle. The injuries he had suffered were definitely slowing him down.

"Can't stop now, Jaune. Can't exactly turn back either, with the skeletons back there..." The Arc muttered to himself.

 _"Come on Jaune...just a bit more.."_ His body started slowing down. "Shit." He leaned against the stone wall, breathing heavily from exhaustion.

 _"You're an Arc. Start acting like it."_ Jaune laughed at the thought, but instead, a cough came out. Along with blood.

 _Maybe the voice was right. Maybe I am going to die here. Nice optimism, other voice._

Little did he know, he had passed another doorway already into another room.

"Better not be anymore damn skeletons." He coughed out. The room wasn't exactly as different from the last one. The walls were decorated with pictures and symbols, just like the gates and pretty much everything else in this hell-dungeon. But the main difference was the big shrine at the end.

He saw steps, leading up to a throne. Mysteriously, there were two bonfires on either side of the throne still it, and still burning. And what sat on top of it, made his eyes widen.

In front of the throne was another altar. But what rested on the throne really caught his eye.

A shiny suit. Not the one's with the tie and the cufflinks. The one's men wore back in the day's of old, when men wore actual armor.

 _"Is this what I've been looking for? Oh, hot damn, it is! Come on Jaune, you're right, I can't stop now!"_

He limped his way to the top of the stairs. Jaune felt like he was about to pass out. So he took off his knapsack and threw it down the steps to ease the walk, er, more of a crawl to the steps.

As he climbed the steps, he saw the armor closely in all of it's glory.

The suit of armor was incredibly shiny, light bouncing off back to his eyes. Silver and what was either gold or brass was gilded onto the gauntlets, cuirass, pauldrons and the steel platings throughout the armor.

The helmet was a barbute, more rounded at the head. A metal visor protected the wielder from blows to the face. It seemed intimidating too. It reminded Jaune of some of the soldiers from Mistral he had seen.

Strangely, the armor wasn't put on a stand. It sat on the throne, hunched back, with it's arm supporting the head, or you could say helmet.

In fact, he wasn't sure this armor was completely made of steel at all. The armor seemed to be made from some sort of refined black metal.

He stopped observing the suit and decided to look at the altar. It had a stone tablet in the center. He read the words etched on it out loud:

* * *

 **In the beginning, Man was born from the dust**

 **He crawled out of the remnant of the last world,**

 **and began a new one.**

 **He was strong, wise and resourceful.**

 **But like the one before Him, He was born into an unforgiving, cruel world.**

 **The creatures of Grimm set their sights on man and all of his creations.**

 **All seemed lost, until a spark of hope ignited a change.**

 **This spark was Gaius, and he carved out the world for his fellow men.**

 **Alas, one day, an agent of Darkness came forth,**

 **and blew out his light.**

 **Yet his embers ignited many other flames, and together, they cured Gaius of his blight.**

 **However they could never rekindle his flame again.**

 **At a cost, he was trapped in his own armor.**

 **Those who have passed the first two trials,**

 **shall prepare for one last trial.**

 **Touch Gaius, and you shall become him.**

* * *

After finishing reading up the text, Jaune glanced towards the suit of armor, who apparently, was Gaius, some ancient hero.

 _"So I'm guessing this Gaius dude was a great warrior of some sort...so if I touch his armor, I'll become a great hero as well?"_ He stared at Gaius, and looked back at the doorway he used to enter the room.

Jaune shivered. It was either touch his armor, possibly become a mythical hero or something, or go back there, possibly get slain by skeletons, possibly bleed to death, and possibly die from the cold outside.

 _"Screw it. This is what I came for."_ He placed his palm on Gaius's head, uh, helmet.

Jaune closed his eyes in preparation of what could possibly come next. He glanced at his hand, then the armor.

"Well crap. You've got to be kidding me. I came all this way for noTHINGGG-" A searing pain shot up through his arm, it felt as if his arm was being cooked from the inside. It felt like a thousand volts just went into his arm.

Jaune yelled in pain. The torment made it's way through his arm and to the rest of his body. Then he started screaming in sheer agony.

It felt as if the elements themselves were swirling around in his body. It was as if balls of fire were exploding inside of him, burning his flesh, while cold ice froze his skin and bones, meanwhile winds gushed around his head, throwing his mind left and right as if it was a ball. Electricity bounced around from the brain to his femur. Stone popped up, breaking his bones and cracking his skull. His body was being ripped apart from the inside.

If someone looked at Jaune, they would see veins bulging out, his entire body shaking as if he had a seizure, and his eyes having a hellish fiery glow in them.

And during all of this, his hand was still holding onto the helmet of Gaius.

Gaius raised his arm and pushed away Jaune's hand, and picked him up by the throat, ceasing his screams. Jaune saw through his visor, burning red eyes shadowed by darkness, just like the Grimm.

He leaned closer to his face, and a deep, booming voice came out:

 _ **"Is this what you wanted?"**_

Jaune didn't say anything, but Gaius just kept staring at him. He heard a low laugh emanate from the helmet, one that sent chills down his spine. That is, if the chills he was already getting inside his body didn't count.

 _ **"You know, you weren't the first to try to use my power to it's full extent. Many have, all eventually succumbing to madness and letting the darkness consume them, just like it did to me."**_

 _ **"But listen to me ramble, you're getting tired of all those dust elements inside your body, aren't you?"**_

 _ **"Although, I know you can't say anything right now, so I'll make this quick as I can."**_ Jaune silently thanked him in his mind.

 _ **"You thought I would serve you, surprise, surprise, it's the other way around. If you wish to use my power to it's full extent, I have one last trial for you. The other two were ridiculously easy weren't they? Don't worry, young blood. This one will be the hardest, you know. The hardest challenge you've ever encountered in your entire life, believe me. I've seen it too, pretty pathetic as well."**_

Although the only response Jaune could give back was his body still rapidly shaking and twitching.

Gaius gave out a sigh of annoyance. **"Alright, let's get this over with."**

The metal from Gaius's armor seemed to melt into a liquid, starting to crawl over his body, soon shrouding him in complete darkness.

* * *

 **Welp, that's about it for this chapter.**

 **This is more of a backstory kind of chapter, expect more to come.**

 **Any criticism at all is greatly appreciated.**

 **Also, you guys telling me how to improve, what not to do, what to do, etc. really helps me out alot for writing stories in the future.**

 **See you guys later.**


	2. Cursed

**Chapter 2**

 **I do not own anything, except this story.**

* * *

When Jaune woke up, he felt like someone brought up a sledgehammer and slammed it against his head.

His vision was blurry, yet spinning at the exact same time. "Trippy..."Jaune managed to mumble.

 _ **Hello there. How's your life? Horrible, terrible?**_

 _"Pretty terrible, yeah. What the hell happened?"_ Jaune thought. His vision soon cleared up, and he realized he was still in the temple.

 _ **You've got yourself to thank for that. Would you happen to remember what happened?**_

 _"Uh...shit, yeah. I...I went inside this cave, cut my own arm...uh, what else..."_ Jaune held a palm to his head to calm the agonizing headache.

 _ **A little reminder. Spooky scary skeletons?**_

 _"Yep. How could I forget. Fuckers wounded me pretty badly, how come I haven't bleed out yet?"_

 ** _I think you should check yourself out. Nice outfit you got there, a friend of mine designed it for me._**

 _"...what? Are...you hitting on me?"_

 ** _No, you idiot. Look down at yourself, see anything different?_**

Jaune looked at his own arms.

To his surprise, two black gilded metal gauntlets and vambraces were now equipped onto his arms, going from his hands all the way to his elbow.

Looking down, he found his legs now wearing metal platings, protecting his thighs, legs and ankles, along with a flexible plated sabaton on his foot.

 _"Woah. Looks like I pimped myself out. Did you do this?"_

Jaune heard a sigh. **_Technically you did. Considering the fact you were the one who laid thy finger on my own armor._**

The blonde remembered the immense pain he just experienced what he assumed not long ago. In fact, he was surprised his brains weren't scrambled, or his body wasn't just a pile of ashes and broken bones. His body still felt numb, however.

 _"Oh yeah...yeah. I touched your armor right, so that means I...became you? You are Gaius, right?"_

 _ **Yes, I am Gaius. First king of men, Centurion of the Thirteenth Legion, bearer of the first light, blah blah blah blah.**_

 _ **And no, you didn't actually "become me." I'm now binded to you, and you are now binded to me.**_

Wait. Binded?

 _"What? Binded? What do you mean!?"_

 ** _I'm stuck with you pal, and you are stuck with me._**

 _"For how long?!"_

 _ **Pretty much forever, new blood.**_

"WHAT!?" Jaune held his head, and started panicking. His breathing became rapid, and he fell to the ground on his knees.

 ** _Hey, hey, hey! Relax there, new blood. There's a way out of this, by completing your last trial._**

The Knight relaxed a bit. _**Good. You relaxed. Anyway, like I said before, the last two trials were, of course, pathetically easy.**_

 _"Hey, you know. They almost killed me."_ Gaius laughed.

 ** _Not surprisingly. Cutting your own arm isn't hard. And the last Cohort of Gemina may have been legendary warriors back in their prime, but hundreds and hundreds of years will diminish bodies, equipment, souls and spirits. Including skill._**

 ** _And so I give you one last trial. You must slay...hmm..._**

He could feel Gaius contemplate this for sometime. _"Shit. I hope he doesn't tell me to slay some legendary dinosaur Grimm or something crazy..."_

Gaius laughed again. **_You know I can hear your thoughts now, right? Anyway, uh... HEAR ME, NEW BLOOD! AS PUNISHMENT FOR TOUCHING MY ARMOR, YOU MUST SLAY...EXACTLY...SIX THOUSAND, six hundred and sixty six monsters ALL BY YOUR OWN HAND!_**

Jaune fainted again.

* * *

 _ **Hey...HEY! Wake up!**_

Jaune opened his eyes, and groaned loudly.

 ** _Rise and shine, pancakes. Had a good nap again?_**

"I hate you. I hate you so much. Six hundred thousand, six hundred and six monsters? All slain by my very own hand?"

Gaius laughed a third time. **_Yep! And I'll be with you the entire time, and I will witness every kill to make sure it's legit!_**

He groaned loudly again, rolling around on the floor, his armor clinking as he did so.

 _ **So get your lazy ass up, and get walking. Luckily, there's a secret exit they installed here. You won't break this curse of mine by moping around in this dungeon forever.**_

Jaune reluctantly got up. Slowly however. He felt the heavy weight on his shoulders. _"Shit, this armor is heavy as fuck! How much does this thing weigh?"_

 ** _I don't remember, seventy-five? A hundred? You'll get used to it._**

He slowly walked over to his discard knapsack. "My life is going to suck." Some provisions have rolled out of it, which Jaune scooped up and placed back inside the knapsack. Until a question popped up in his mind.

"How long was I out?"

 ** _The binding process which binded you and I together knocked you into a coma for about several weeks._**

"Several weeks?! How could I even be al-"

 _ **This trial, or curse, as you may call it, has specific rules for me and you. Sorry, forgot to mention. Listen intently, new blood.**_

"My name is Jaune."

 _ **You must slay six thousand, six hundred, and sixty six monsters.**_

"Yep. You said that already."

 _ **However, in the process, you'll...well, technically be immortal.**_

Wait. Really?

 _ **Yes. You can't die from starvation, age, poison, sickness, and physical wounds. You can't drown, either.**_

"That...doesn't sound much of a curse."

 ** _Let me finish. You are given immunity to starvation, age, poison, sickness, and physical wounds. But, the altar said, "Touch my Armor, and become me." You and I are now binded together. And that one means you are binded into my armor._**

"Oh no no no. You're not saying..."

 _ **You're stuck in that armor until you kill all those monsters.**_

* * *

Jaune found himself trudging against the snow. His metal plated boots and sabatons made it much more difficult than before, not to mention that the snow and cold outside had grown to a full-out blizzard, nearly blocking his entire view ahead.

 _ **Where are you going, again?**_

 _"There was a town I stopped at before I went inside. I think it was called...Lenta._

 ** _Interesting. Keep on going._**

Jaune gritted his teeth in annoyance. _**What, do you expect me to help? I'm just here to observe.**_

"Yeah...observe..." Jaune lifted his boot and took another slow step. The blizzard and the armor made this walk seem like a road to hell.

 ** _Oh yeah, I forgot. How do you plan to accomplish the trial to get out of Cavae Loculo?_**

 _"Cavae Caveam?"_

 ** _It's latin for Hollow Coffin._**

 _"Fitting."_

 _ **That's exactly what I was going for!**_

 _"Anyway, I'm not sure how to get out of this damn armor. I'm sure it'll come around."_

 ** _You're not thinking about wandering Remnant just killing every Grimm you see right? The last guy who did that pissed me off pretty well, it was just so BORING._**

 _"That's not a half bad idea. You being bored to death while I suffer pain at the same time? Seems fair."_

 ** _Ugh. Just don't. It'll take years. And it's not like Grimm are populating every single abandoned forest or desert._**

 _"Just shut up already! You're driving me insane by the second!"_

 ** _That's the point, Jaune. That's the point. Oh wait, I think that's the village. I see smoke and lights. Quicken up the pace, will you?_**

 _"I'm going as fast as I can, asshat."_

Gaius was right, he could see the village ahead. It wasn't a very big town, it was made up of mostly wooden cabins and a few stone abandoned stone buildings. Like Gaius said, the village still had their lights open.

 _ **Is that a tavern I see? Oh man, Jaune. Why won't you go there? Maybe pick up a drink or too? You sound, AND look like you need it!**_

 _"I'm only seventeen, you know."_

 ** _I'm pretty sure folks around this part of the continent don't mind. I doubt they get much business anyway._**

 _"Hey, do I still have to sleep?"_

 ** _Well, yeah, you do. This armor just stops you from dying._**

 _"Well looks like we'll be staying their for the night."_

* * *

Jaune stepped inside the tavern. It wasn't exactly crowded, but it still had about a dozen people inside, merrily drinking themselves away.

People around him immediately thought of him as an odd-sight, with his shiny armor, backpack and sword sheathed at his hip. But they soon went back to drinking.

Jaune walked over to the Bartender, and sat down at a stool.

"What can I getcha, mister?" The Bartender looked a bit odd. He wore a black formal vest, with a white long sleeved shirt underneath and a bow tie at his collar. He had slicked back hair with a long handlebar mustache. He was currently washing a cup with a rag.

"Er, nothing really. I just need a room, and perhaps some information." The Bartender raised his brow.

"Room'll cost 20 lien." The Bartender leaned forwards toward Jaune. "And I may have some of this "information" for you." He whispered, then went back to cleaning his cup. "Oh, and you sure you don't need anything I can getcha? Some food or some ale?"

 _"Hey, I can still eat and drink right?"_

 ** _"Technically, you still can. But good luck taking off your helmet._** Jaune mentally sighed. He couldn't eat, or drink at all.

The Knight was a bit weirded out a bit by Mister Handlebar's actions, but quickly shook it off. "Nah, don't need any of that. Now, speaking of information, you wouldn't happen to know some kind of job that involves killing lots of monsters, do you?"

The Bartender chuckled. "Mister, the only profession that involves killing monsters is being a hunter. And we don't need any more hunters on Remnant."

Jaune was taken a bit aback by his words. He had heard of Hunters all his life, heck, his parents were hunters!

"What do you mean? Aren't hunters heroes and such?" Mister Handlebar simply chuckled at his words. "Listen here, Shiny Knight. Hunters, are simply, tools used by the government to be their own personal weapons of war. Maybe in the past they were good, you know, but now all they do is simply be the government and the rich's personal henchman." Jaune grew in rage at his statement. But the Bartender couldn't see that. Really, all he saw was a helmet.

 _ **Woah, hey there Jaune. Hold up for a minute. You wouldn't want to start a fight around here.**_

"Anyway, if you're looking to become one, really, you're going to need some transcripts. And those are pretty hard to get. Only way you can get those is by going through combat school for several years, or, ya know. Other means." He winked at Jaune.

Jaune stood up from his stool. "I've heard enough, keep the lien." The Silver Knight started walking away.

"I wouldn't recommend that profession, lil' knight. A Hunter is a life for a fool who's eventually gonna wither away and die alone!" He called out.

Jaune took a deep breath. He walked back over to the Bartender.

"Eh? What's wrong. You wanted to stay after all, or do you want a dri-"

 **SMASH!**

The stool collided against Handelbar Man's face, causing the seat to shatter in pieces. He fell down and hit the counter in the process.

At first, he was at shock. But he looked at Jaune with a face of anger. "WICKHAM! GEORGE! WE GOT A TROUBLEMAKER OVAH' HEAH!" He yelled.

Jaune turned around, and saw two large men approach him. Both of them looked identical, with bulging muscles, each one wearing a tank top and jeans while towering him at least by several inches. The only difference in appearance were the scars on their faces. A wicked grin grew on their faces.

"Oi! You makin' trouble with ol' Nicholas? You'll regret that. Let's teach 'em a lesson, George." The other man, who he assumed was George simply nodded and raised his fist at Jaune.

 _ **Damn it Jaune, step to the right!**_

Jaune stepped to the right, and George's fist went right past him, instead going to the counter and smashing parts of it.

 _ **DUCK!**_

Jaune did as he was told. He ducked under Wickham's fist. Jaune decided to retaliate with a punch of his own. The Silver Knight's gauntlet met with Wickham's chin.

Normally, Jaune wouldn't even scratch a man the size of Wickham. But the metal gauntlets changed that. It may as well have been a block of steel hit Wickham because he immediately toppled over and fell on his back.

He heard the bar patrons behind him cheer and yell.

 _"Holy shit. I can't believe I just did that."_

 _ **Watch out, George's getting up.**_ Jaune turned to his right. Sure enough, George managed to pull out his own hand out of the counter. It was now decorated with splinters and now bleeding.

"You little shit. COME HERE!" George sprinted towards him, prepared to tackle the Knight. But Jaune simply stepped to his side again, tripping George and making him fall on his face. This didn't seem to affect him that much, just a bleeding nose. He turned to Jaune with a look that told him he was planning to kill him. The Silver Knight grabbed a nearby bottle of beer.

As soon as the bulky man got up, Jaune smashed the bottle of beer across George's face. He fell to the ground knocked out along with shards of glass.

He turned to the rest of the bar patrons.

"IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?" He yelled out. No one said anything. The bar was now silent. Everyone stared at Jaune.

 _ **BANG!**_

Jaune recoiled as he felt the bullet hit his body. He turned around, and saw Handlebar Mustache. He was shakily holding a revolver, with a smug grin on his face. "You're dead, bud. Nothing in this world can stop a .44 round." He choked out some blood.

He looked down. A hole was now decorating his armor, with smoke still coming out of it."

Jaune turned around and picked up the broken beer bottle. Handlebar Mustache's eyes widened in surprise, replacing his smiling face with one of fear.

He shot round after round, and Jaune didn't even flinch, yet his body still kept walking, beer bottle in hand.

 _ **Hey, Jaune. Hold up. Think about what you're doing.**_

He picked up Handlebar Mustache by the throat.

 _ **Are you seriously going to kill him?**_

He looked to the bar patrons through the visor in his helmet. They looked at him with fear, None of them looked like they planned to do anything. And Handlebar was sobbing at this point.

 _ **Come on, this guy isn't worth it.**_

"Look mister, I-I I'm real sorry for w-whatever I did to u-upset 'cha. J-Just d-don't kill me, please..." He glared at him.

"Listen here, fucker. Don't you ever talk about Hunters and Huntress' like that ever again." He let go of his throat, dropping him to the ground.

He left the bar silently.

* * *

 _ **Mind explaining what exactly happened back there, Jaune?**_

He was back out on the road, tramping through the snow. He didn't answer back.

 _ **Okay, maybe going to the Tavern wasn't exactly the best idea. But still!**_

 _ **Come on, want to talk about it?**_

 _"No. We're heading to a hunter academy. And we're going to get some transcripts. Come on, we're going down to Mistral."  
_

 ** _Well shit. You ARE actually planning to become a hunter. Oh well. It's a hell of alot better than wandering Remnant. Heh._**

 _"What's so funny?"_

 _ **It's just that, well, I'm actually excited about this. I haven't seen that many people and things in alot of years, as you know. I'm not sure what we'll find there in a Hunter Academy.**_

"...Yeah, me neither..." Jaune muttered out as he kept on walking through the blizzard.

* * *

 **Hey everyone. I know this chapter is only half as long as the last chapter, but I thought it would be good to stop here.**

 **I appreciate you all for taking the time read this, you guys have no idea.**

 **And of course, please review. It's how you guys tell me how to improve.**

 **Adios.**


	3. Beacon

**Chapter 3**

 **I don't own anything but this story.**

* * *

Jaune stepped off the Dust Plane, and gazed ahead of him. He took a breath of relief.

Beacon Academy, with its tall stone buildings and a glowing spire reaching to the heavens.

A prestigious school dedicated to making teenagers into Grimm-Killing machines.

 ** _That sounds really stupid when you think about it. Giving emotional teenagers going through puberty with weapons and training that can possibly be used to kill and destroy people and their property doesn't exactly sound like a great idea._**

Jaune started walking down an avenue that lead into what he assumed was Beacon's amphitheater. "Hey, it works. Besides, does it really matter? Let's just hope this school turns _me_ into a Grimm-Killing machine." Jaune pointed his thumb at himself.

It had been a long journey from Mistral to Vale. Traversing freezing snow storms to and from northern Mistral, finding a way to get some fake transcripts for Beacon, and the long ride on a Dust Ship with air-sickness, all the while with Gaius as a mental companion, overall, the whole trip was a giant pain in the ass.

 ** _Fine, fine. I suppose you're right._**

"Alright then. Let's see what these transcripts say about me." The Knight took out his backpack from behind and ruffled through it. There wasn't that much junk in it, just a few essentials. He used to have food there, but he no longer had any use for it anymore.

"Ahah! Here we go!" Jaune took out a sheet of paper out, with various words and numbers, explaining his academics and such.

 ** _We're lucky we even got accepted in the first place. At least he gave you another copy of them._** Gaius muttered inside his mind.

"Alright...pretty good, I suppose. Nothing too amazing, just average."

 _ **Uh, Jaune. I forgot to remind you. You might want to stop talking to yourself. Wouldn't want people to think you're...not right in the head.**_

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know what exactly am I going up against in a Hunter Academy, do you?" Jaune muttered to himself again.

 _ **Jaune. What did I just say?**_

 _"Sorry, sorry. Bad habit."_

 ** _No worries, anyway, to answer your question, no, not really. Back in my day, we didn't have these fancy hunter schools. You wanted to travel the world slaying monsters, you would go to the military!_**

 ** _Yep. Good times back then. They would throw a sword and a shield your way, make you endure a week of training, and then tell you to follow them around to kill stuff, basically. How I miss the simpler days!_**

 _"Gee. Sounds like fun."_

 ** _It really was! Slaying Grimm by the hundreds, losing men by the dozens, seeing exotic places never seen before, ancient relics of the world before Rem-_**

"KA-BOOM!"

A loud, explosion rang through Jaune's ears. Alerted, he noticed a smoking crater in Beacon's Courtyard. A young girl with dark red hair, a black and red gothic dress and a large hooded cloaked was lying on the crater covered in soot and ash.

 ** _Heard that? Maybe you should help her up. Aren't you supposed to be a knight?_**

Jaune scoffed. _"I'm not a knight, okay? I'm just a guy who wants to kill a lot of Grimm and go home."_

 ** _Ah, come on, Jaune! Isn't that why you looked for me in the first place? You look the part, now act like it!_**

 _"Fine. I'm going, okay? No need to yell inside my brain."_

* * *

Ruby hadn't meant it. She didn't mean to trip over some crabby, stuck-up, rich girl in the first place, she didn't mean to sneeze and cause an explosion, in front of the whole entire school, and she didn't mean to make an "enemy" on her very first day at Beacon.

So, she slumped down on the very crater she had made.

"Welcome to Beacon." She mumbled to herself and closed her eyes.

Although, she opened them when she heard a loud metal clinking coming her way.

Casting a shadow over her, was a man covered from head to toe in metal armor. Well, Ruby assumed he was a guy.

He stuck out his hand towards her.

"Hey, need any help?" The words echoed through his helmet.

"Thanks." She nervously replied, gratefully taking his hand.

* * *

A few minutes had passed since Jaune had extended his hand to the girl. The two had started walking together in complete, awkward silence since then.

Ruby, deciding to finally be an icebreaker, spoke up. "So, ah, my name's Ruby. What's yours?"

"Jaune. Jaune Arc-I mean, Jaune Doe." Jaune stammered. _"I should have been able to choose, damn it!"_ Jaune mentally cursed.

"Yep, hehehe...that's me, Jaune Doe! Short, sweet, ladies love it!" The Knight said anxiously.

"Do they?" Ruby questioned. Jaune seemed to sigh at first. _"Just isn't the same as Jaune Arc. I should have been able to chose, damn it!"_

"Now that I've given it some thought, I'm starting to think: "No." He said dejectedly.

Ruby nervously laughed. _"Come on, Ruby! You don't want to make two enemies on your first day!"_

Deciding to quickly switch to another topic, she reached behind her and "unfolded" Crescent Rose. The tip of the blade slammed into the concrete, making a hole.

"So, uh, I've got this thing!" Ruby looked over to Jaune. With his helmet on, she couldn't even tell if he even had the slightest reaction.

"Is that a scythe?" He said, flinching under his helmet.. Ruby happily nodded. "It's also a customizable, high-impact, sniper rifle!"

"English please."

"It's also a gun." She pulled the bolt on Crescent Rose, making a _CHA-CHIK_ sound.

"Oh. Well that's cool!" Jaune said with genuine interest. _"Yesss! Score one for Ruby!"_

"So what do you got?"

"Heh. Well, uh, I've got this sword." Jaune pulled Crocea Mors out of it's sheathe in all it's glory. A magnificent steel blade with a blue hilt and a curved, bronze crossguard.

"Simple, yet deadly." Jaune grinned under his barbute. _"It's great for killing skeletons, too. Well, more like putting them to rest."_

"So what's it do? And how do you shoot with this thing?" Ruby seemed to inspect Crocea Mors closely, looking for a trigger of some sort or a mechanism that spews lead.

Jaune chuckled. "You can't. In a nutshell, this is basically a regular sword that stabs and kills things. The only thing unique about it is the fact the sheathe can turn into a shield." Jaune pressed a button on Crocea's sheathe, and it unfolded into a shield with the Arc crest on it.

"Huh. Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days!"

"Heh. Thanks, I guess." The Knight sheathed Crocea Mors, and Ruby did the same for Crescent Rose.

"So, ah, why'd you help me out back there?" Jaune shrugged in response. "Why not? You know what they say, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." Ruby hummed in confirmation.

"Huh. Hey, where are we going?" Ruby looked around, finding themselves in Beacon's garden.

"Oh, I dunno! I was just, you know, following you?" He grinned sheepishly. The Reaper felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and wrapped her arm around Jaune's.

"Oh crap! Come on, come on! We're gonna be late!" Ruby tugged on Jaune's arm, and despite her small frame, Ruby was able to pull his entire body with relative ease.

 _"Wait, why am I even surprised? This girl could probably fight with that giant scythe with ease!"_

"I think the auditoriums that way? Hopefully?"

After Jaune had convinced Ruby that he was able to walk on his own, the two had finally been able to find the theater.

As soon as they walked in, a blonde, buxom girl that Gaius thought would fit right in the red light district waved over to Ruby.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!"

"Oh, hey, that's my sister calling. I'll see you later, bye Jaune!" The Knight waved goodbye as he saw Ruby get swallowed up by the crowd.

 _ **Heh. You know, you never told me about your little friend, Jaune.**_

 _"Do I have to?"_ Jaune scoffed.

 _ **What? Jaune, I'm hurt! I thought we were bros by now! You know, amigos! We're just like..like Finn and Jake! Like Rick and Morty! Of course you have to tell me! I've been with you since the start!**_

"That's because you had to. If I could have it my way, I would want you to be as far away from me as possible."

In the midst of their mental argument, he swore he heard a girl specifically mention him in a conversation of her own.

 ** _Yeah? Suck it up, Jaune, because I'm gonna be here for the rest of your time here at Beacon. Most likely. Unless, you know, you manage to kill several hundred thousand Grimm during that time. Which I am very, very sure, you will not._**

"You've told me that about a million times already, will you ever shut up about that?"

 _ **I could say the exact same, Jaune! This entire time, you've been whining and crying, and you're telling ME to shut up! Hypocrite!**_

Before Jaune could say a comeback, he heard the microphone being tested throughout the auditorium. The whole room turned silent.

Two figures had appeared on the stage, a man with grey hair, spectacles on the bridge of his nose, wielding a cane and wearing a dark green suit.

Standing by him, was a young woman with blonde curled hair and bright green eyes. She wore a purple and black cape, a white shirt with puffy sleeves and glasses.

 ** _Hey, have you ever noticed how girls always have these big ass eyes that are bright as hell? Meanwhile, us guys have smaller eyes and aren't exactly as bright. That's just weird. It's, ah, it's really weird, now that I think about it._**

 _"Shush! They're making an announcement!"_

"I'll...keep this brief."

 _ **God, I hope he does.**_

 _"You don't know when to be quiet."_

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft, and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose, direction."

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With the man's short speech who Jaune assumed was the headmaster over, the woman with the blonde hair stepped towards the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Jaune looked over the crowd. As soon as the announcement was finished, people had already begun to leave the amphitheater.

The Knight decided that it had been a long day, and decided to make way for the ballroom, like so many others.

* * *

Jaune took his sleeping mat and dropped it to the ground. He laid his back onto the foam, feeling the metal plates against his skin.

This was how he's been sleeping ever since he was trapped in the armor.

At first, it was a bit awkward and unusual, but he slowly got used to it. Besides, an advantage was the fact that most Grimm ignored him as he slept in the armor. He didn't exactly recall ever being attacked by a Grimm in his sleep. Maybe it's because they didn't see him as a human?

Looking at the shattered moon, he decided to think about it in the morning. Slowly, he shut his eyes and drifted into Dreamland.

"Jaune!" The Knight's eyes immediately snapped open. Standing next to him.

"Ruby...what are you doing here?" Ruby smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't exactly sleep. So I went out for a walk. You sleep in your armor?"

He sighed. "...It's a bad habit. Traveling across Remnant makes you wary of what's in the darkness as you sleep. I guess you can say I got used to it."

"Jaune, you realize we're in Beacon, right? Nothing's gonna "sneak up on you" or anything like that!" She giggled.

The Knight bit his lip. "Hey, you'll never know, right? Anyway, go back to sleep, will you? We've got initiation tomorrow, okay?" Jaune rolled over away from her.

"If you say so, Jaune." And Ruby walked away, leaving the Knight by himself.

As he closed his eyes, he heard the howl of Beowolves echoing across the forest.

He was facing against these things tomorrow.

* * *

The Knight woke up tired in the morning. Opening his eyes, he saw the sun rising over the Emerald Forest.

 _ **'Tis but a beautiful sight, no?**_

"I suppose." He sluggishly woke up, carrying the heavy armor on his shoulders with him, and walked

He didn't bother with breakfast or any form of hygiene whatsoever, and he hasn't ever since he's been stuck in the armor. As disgusting as that was, he couldn't try to wash himself if he tried. Besides, he never really smelled that bad, did he?

"Hmm...maybe I could try jumping into a lake? I can't drown, right?" He said to himself.

 _ **Right. But beware of rusting if you do so.**_

Jaune was greeted with grey lockers and holographic number pads as he stepped into the locker room. Multiple students were already getting into a gear, and he decided he should as well. "What was our locker number again?"

 _ **636\. Admit it, you need me.**_

"Whatever you say." He muttered. Noticing 636, he walked over there, and opened it, revealing Crocea Mors in all its glory.

Taking and slamming the locker shut, he noticed two girls standing by and talking to each other. Gaius had an idea pop in his head.

 _ **Hey. Hey Jaune.**_

"What is it, Gaius..."

 _ **You should talk to them!**_

"Why?"

 _ **Why not? Maybe you can make a new friend? Both of those girls look the important type, so maybe if you get to know them, you'll have friends in high-places! And maybe they could be really chill people!**_

"As of right now, I don't need anymore friends. I just want to get through initiation, okay?"

 _ **If you talk to them, I'll only talk when you need me to for the rest of the day.**_

"...What am I suppose to say?"

* * *

"-I was thinking of simply letting the chips fall where they may." She said with a smile that looked kind of forced.

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together!" Weiss explained.

"Well, that sounds grand!" She smiled. "Great!" Weiss turned away, and a dark aura came over her, and she appeared to be scheming in a way.

"The smartest girl combined with the strongest girl in class, together we'll be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular, we'll be celebrities! Not that we aren't already, but we'll be even greater celebrities!" Pyrrah looked over her with concern. "Weiss. I can hear you."

Meanwhile, a certain Knight slid in between them. "You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc-I mean, Doe. Nice to meet you."

Pyrrah turned to face Jaune. "Nice to meet you, Jaune!" Pyrrah waved. Jaune extended out his hand-

 _ **Okay, okay. Now, shake her hand, then-**_

"So, been hearing rumors about teams, eh? I was thinking maybe the three of us would make a good team?" Pyrrah nodded, while Weiss shook her head.

"Excuse me, Jaune was it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Weiss said with annoyance.

 _ **Oh! I have an idea! Call her Snow Angel! C'mon! I'll promise to leave you alone!**_ Jaune mentally groaned.

"Not in the slightest, Snow Angel." Gaius giggled. "This, is Pyrrah," Pyrrah waved back. "Hello again!"

"Pyrrah graduated top of her class in Sanctum."

"Never heard of it."

Weiss made a sound of disbelief. "She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row! A new record!"

"Mistral Regional Tournament? I have no idea what that is, but it sounds important. Congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

"She's in the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow flakes box!" She waved her arms in anger.

"Oh. Uh, congratulations again! I guess." Jaune extended his hand out for a hand shake, which Pyrrah accepted with a grin.

"So, after hearing after this, do you really think you're in the position to ask her to be on your team?" Weiss sneered.

"Well, sure. Why not?" Pyrrah beamed with pleasure. Weiss pinched her nose.

"Pyrrah. A little help?" The Champion's smile faltered, and Jaune felt his entire body suddenly move on it's own, hurdling towards a stone pillar. "Oof!"

 _ **Ouch. I think she cracked something.**_

"Agh...that...kind of hurt. I think." Jaune dropped to the ground, feeling the force controlling his body dissipate. "I'm sorry!" Pyrrah apologized.

Suddenly, the intercom came on. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation. Again, all first-year students report to Beacon cliff immediately."

"It was nice meeting you!" She said, walking away. "Likewise." He coughed out. Ruby and a blonde girl, who Jaune assumed was a friend of Ruby, came over to him.

"Having some trouble, lady-killer?" She said with her hands on her hips. Ruby helped Jaune up, similar to how he did back at the courtyard.

"I think I may have a few broken bones, but that's about it." Yang chuckled. "You know, Snow Angel probably wasn't the best start."

"Come on, Jaune. Let's go." Ruby said with Jaune's arms around her.

 _ **Alright Jaune. I'm a man of my word.**_

* * *

All of the first-year students were at Beacon cliff by now. Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stood at the edge of the cliff.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin said, taking a sip of his mug.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Ruby let out a cry.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well. That being said, the very first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" Ruby cried out. "See? I told you?" Said a bubbly orange haired girl to a raven haired boy.

"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, actually, sir-" Jaune raised his arm up.

"Good! Now take your positions." Looking around, Jaune saw the other students taking stances and their weapons out.

"Uh, sir? I've got a couple questions?" He heard the very first spring launch off a student.

"Make it quick." He took another sip.

"So, ah, sir. Why is there only about a dozen and several students here?" He heard a few more students being launched off.

"We're launching you in groups. These launch pads aren't cheap, you know." He took another sip of his coffee.

"Ah. Well, another question: Do we have to use the launch pads?"

"Hmm...no, I suppose you do not. But, it would make traversing the forest much, much longer."

Looking over to his side, Ruby was launched into the air. "Ah, goddamnit." The springs on the pad sent him skyward, and Jaune found himself sifting through the air at high speeds.

* * *

 **Welp. That's chapter 3 for you.**

 **I'm apologize how this chapter took a long time to make. And I had to admit it, it wasn't exactly as fun to write, because I felt like I had to stick to canon a bit more during this particular part of the story.**

 **Don't worry, it won't be exactly like canon, it'll be branching off from the main story a few times. Chill out.**

 **Signing off, Lux et Tenebris.**


End file.
